Patent EP-A-3192 discloses a clamp fitting constituted by a metal band, wound on itself, of which one of the ends presents an ear projecting radially on the outer periphery of the clamp and of which the other end is shaped as a hook capable of hooking behind the ear to maintain the clamp tightened.
It is known that one of the principal advantages of this prior-art clamp is that of avoiding, in principle, any permanent deformation of the various zones of the band which constitutes it, when it is positioned and tightened.
This type of clamp has already been improved in various ways, in particular to give it a reserve of elasticity enabling a sufficient tightening to be maintained in the case of modification of the dimensions of the object to be clamped, in particular under the effect of the variations in temperature. In this respect, reference may be made to Patents EP-A-469 989, 491 609 or 491 610. Other improvements have aimed at improving the abutment of the clamp on the object to be clamped, particularly a flexible hose pipe fitted on a rigid coupling. In this respect, reference may be made to Patent EP-A-243 224.
However, it has been realized, in certain difficult cases, that the quality of the clamps described in the above-mentioned Patents does not appear sufficient. More precisely, it is sometimes required that the abutment of the clamp on the object to be clamped present no discontinuity and in particular that the discontinuity existing opposite the ear be completely eliminated. The latter is in fact constituted by two folds of the band placed back to back and the rounded connection of the folds to the band itself causes a small discontinuity of the inner periphery of the clamp to appear, particularly if the opposite faces of the folds are not strictly in contact with each other. The continuity of the abutment which was already obtained under the hook by the presence of the extension of the band beyond the ear, described in particular in Patent EP-A-3192, must, of course, be conserved.
The invention therefore has for an object to provide a solution to the problem which has just been set forth and, to that end, it proposes a novel band clamp fitting structure of the type described hereinabove.